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Rakitic ‘Would Open Door’ For Neymar To Return To Barca

MADRID – Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic would welcome back Neymar to the Nou Camp with open arms as rumours continue to swirl that the Brazilian forward regrets his record transfer from the Catalans to Paris St Germain.

Neymar is recovering from foot surgery in Brazil and missed PSG’s 2-1 defeat by Real Madrid which dumped the French side out of the Champions League on Tuesday, after which Spanish media reported the forward was unsettled in Paris and has told former team mates he wants to return to Barca.

“He hasn’t said anything to me, but if it were up to me, I’d open the door up to him right now,” Rakitic told reporters on Saturday after Barca’s 2-0 win at Malaga, which took the Catalans 11 points clear at the top of La Liga.

“It’s not just because I have a good relationship with him, but because of the type of player he is. I would always pick Neymar in my team.”

Neymar scored 28 goals for PSG before injuring his metatarsal against Olympique Marseille on Feb. 26, although his relationship with his team mates has been heavily scrutinised since a much-publicised dispute with Edinson Cavani over penalty taking duties in September. – Reuters